Michael Wilbon says Jordan attempted to ‘soften’ media criticism of LeBron James
“I remember having a conversation with Michael who said, ‘Hey, take it easy. When you talk about this tomorrow, take it easy on this kid. And here’s why.’ And Michael had a list of reasons of things that he really liked about LeBron James,” Wilbon said. “He didn’t have to do that! But he understood what was going to go on publicly because he had been on the other end of that early in his career.”
Wilbon said this conversation occurred after James infamously took his Cleveland Cavaliers jersey off while leaving the court on the heels of getting knocked out of the 2010 NBA playoffs by the Boston Celtics.
“Michael understood despair in the playoffs,” Wilbon said, noting Jordan faced similar criticism about his inability to win before getting his first ring. “So, he wanted to soften that blow for LeBron James, who was coming up later. If people think Jordan has somehow resented LeBron, they’re wrong.”